Anti-Doping Values in Coach Education (ADVICE)

The ADVICE project realised a broad range of indirect and direct outcomes:Indirect (applied knowledge):1.Understanding the factors that influence whether young athletes will take performance enhancing drugs.2.Understanding the role of coaches in influencing whether young athletes will dope.3.Understanding the effectiveness of an intervention programme on enhancing coaches’ knowledge and attitudes towards doping.4.Strengthening links and communication between different organisations, who are all interested in eliminating doping from sport within the EU. 5.Integrating the latest scientific knowledge to shape the coach education practices of national governing bodies.Direct (products):6.ADVICE mobile application that is available in (English, German, Greek, French, Spanish, Danish, and Russian).7.ADVICE project website, with an introduction about doping for grassroots coaches.8.Published systematic review in Frontiers (15,387 views and downloads).9.Another paper will be submitted for publication. 10.Animations that can be downloaded from the results page and used in schools, universities, or coach education platforms for both athletes and coaches.11.Posters, which are available to download and use from the results platform, to promote the ADVICE mobile application. In developing the ADVICE project proposal, the intention was to design, test, and implement a practical resource for the promotion clean sport by grassroots coaches. The mechanism identified for driving this change was the education of grassroots coaches. In other words, the ADVICE mobile application aimed to increase grassroots coaches’ knowledge of doping and help reduce any favourable attitudes to doping, by upskilling both, existing and new grassroots coaches. The central element of the ADVICE project is the mobile application we developed. It offers education on how grassroots coaches can promote clean and fair sport among young athletes. The ADVICE mobile application draws upon the latest research in regards to the factors that influence whether you athletes will dope, expertise in psychology, education, anti-doping, and policy. This resulted in the ADVICE mobile application containing the following modules:Introduction: This module explained the purpose of the mobile application.Fair Play: The module provides content and reflective exercises on how grassroots coaches can promote fair play among young athletes.Substances: This module provided information on what prohibited substances are and how coaches can spot the tell-tale signs of athletes who dope, and the side effects of prohibited substances. Nutritional Supplements: Information was provided on what nutritional supplements are, the most widely used nutritional supplements, the dangers of nutritional supplements, and recommendations that coaches could give their young athletes if they are asked questions about nutritional supplements.Rules: The rules module included information on the responsibility of coaches, drug testing procedures, what constitutes a doping offence, and information on what will happen if an athlete fails a drugs test.Support: This module provided information on how a coaches can create a sporting environment that is linked to positive sporting values, being a supportive coach, encouraging fair play, how to encourage parents to support their children, and how the coach should behave when there a rumours of drug taking among the athletes he or she coaches.